Title: An act relating to health care provider contracting.

Brief Description: Modifying health care provider contract requirements.

Sponsors: By House Committee on Health Care (originally sponsored by Representatives Cody, Curtis, Morrell, Campbell, Green, Clibborn, Kessler, Serben, Rodne, Roach, Moeller, Buri, Pearson, McCune, Appleton, Kenney, Hasegawa and Dunn).

Brief History:

Health Care: 1/31/06, 2/2/06 [DPS].

Floor Activity:

Passed House: 2/11/06, 73-22.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH CARE

Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 10 members: Representatives Cody, Chair; Campbell, Vice Chair; Morrell, Vice Chair; Curtis, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Appleton, Clibborn, Green, Lantz, Moeller and Schual-Berke.

Minority Report: Do not pass. Signed by 4 members: Representatives Hinkle, Ranking Minority Member; Alexander, Bailey and Condotta.

Staff: Dave Knutson (786-7146).

Background:

Health carriers may attempt to exclude certain classes of health care providers by adopting health care network selection and credentialing standards that restrict selection credentialing of clinics of only a certain class of provider.

Summary of Engrossed Substitute Bill:

Organizations that contract for the establishment of provider networks are prohibited from discriminating against classes of health care practitioners through the adoption of health care network selection and credentialing standards that permit the selection and credentialing of only one or certain classes of practitioners. Health carriers cannot require health care providers to participate in any arrangement that is not a health plan as a condition for participating in any of the contractor's health plans. Contractors cannot refuse to contract with either a provider who purchases the practice of an existing contracted provider, or a provider who works as an employee of a contracted provider.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: All types of health care providers should have equal access to health care coverage plans.

Testimony Against: Health carriers try to contain health care cost increases through building efficient cost-effective networks of health care providers. The legislators should not take away a carrier's ability to do that.

Persons Testifying: (In support) Representative Curtis, prime sponsor; Lori Bielinski and Karen Thola, Washington State Chiropractic Association; and Brad Tower, Optometric Physicians of Washington.

(Opposed) Ken Bertrand, Group Health Cooperative; Rick Wickman, Premera; Nancee Wildermuth, Regence Blue Shield, PacifiCare and Aetna; Sydney Zvara, Association of Washington Healthcare Plans, Molina and Community Health Plan of Washington; and Mel Sorensen, Washington Association of Health Underwriters and America's Health Insurance Plans.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.